Heading into Black History Month, it seemed fitting my friends and I attended the opening night of Moses the Black. Starring Omar Epps, the independent film features a nearly all-Black cast.

I met my friend Chuck for dinner at Social18, in the heart of Park Ridge. A Greek kitchen, it has plenty of enticing options and a great ambience. I must also give applause to fantastic server Jennifer.

From there, we walked a few blocks to historic Pickwick Theater. First opened in 1928 as a vaudeville stage and movie theater, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. It was named for Samuel Pickwick, the title character in The Pickwick Papers, a novel by Charles Dickens.

We met Pickwick owner and longtime friend Dino Vlahakis and a bunch of other friends in the lobby. After catching up and buying our refreshments, we settled into our seats.

Moses the Black is the story of a Chicago gangster who starts to have visions and is inspired by Saint Moses. Living in the fourth century Egypt, gangster Moses was influenced by monks while hiding from local authorities. He became a Christian and spiritual leader.

Early in the film there is a pivotal scene between Malik (Epps) and his grandmother where she gives him a card of St. Moses the Black. Malik begins to have visions of the saint while being caught between the worlds of life and death.

While there is violence and foul language, it is not overly done or gratuitous. The film is dark in tone and appearance, but that fits perfectly with the theme. It’s a powerful, thought-provoking movie.

As we gathered before leaving, we all spoke of the impact the movie had. We were impressed with the acting, production and music. We all have been recommending it to our other friends.

— John Wroblewski, podcaster